Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Representatives from the European Union and China held five rounds of consultations in Beijing this week to discuss possible alternatives to the EU’s planned anti-subsidy duties on Chinese electric vehicles, China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.
The meetings, conducted from November 2 to 7, included Chinese and European technical teams who, as the ministry spokesperson stated Friday, “engaged in in-depth discussions on the specific details of the EU’s proposed price commitment plan regarding the anti-subsidy case on Chinese electric vehicles and made some progress.”
The discussions are expected to continue online in the coming weeks.
China’s Ministry of Commerce stated that the consultations are based on a price commitment proposal submitted by the country’s Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, representing the EV industry.
The talks follow China’s recent appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the European Union’s decision to impose countervailing measures on Chinese electric vehicles.
Since October 31, battery electric vehicles imported from China to Europe have faced additional tariffs ranging from 7.8% on Tesla models to up to 35.3% on vehicles from SAIC Group’s MG brand.
The tariffs, resulting from an investigation initiated by the European Commission last year, add to the 10% standard import duty.
China’s Ministry of Commerce has recently urged the EU to “immediately correct its illegal practices” and to work toward stabilizing the EV industrial and supply chains, as well as overall China-EU economic and trade cooperation
In October, Brussels rejected a Chinese proposal to set a minimum price of €30,000 ($32,900) for all the China-made EVs sold in Europe.
When rejecting the minimum price proposal, Brussels said that the matter extends beyond pricing alone, highlighting the need to address state subsidies that Chinese EV manufacturers allegedly receive, which distort competition within the EU market.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
